Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine. Part of the perceived likelihood of winning money at a gaming machine depends on the player's perception of the machine's fairness.
For example, many players only trust electromechanical type slot machines and refuse to play the electronic video slot games, fearing that these games might not be trustworthy—despite strict government regulation. In contrast, video gaming machines provide an electronic video display of the game outcome that presents an artificial appearance and does not evoke the same player trust as a gaming machine with mechanical components. Yet, even these electromechanical slot-type games are controlled by an electronic microprocessor that predetermines the game outcome. Microprocessor controlled electric stepper motors position the mechanical reels to the selected game outcome.
The industry has moved from the mechanical determination of a game outcome to the almost exclusive use of electronic means to determine game outcomes. This has been a natural transition as mechanical components are generally much less reliable than their electronic counterparts. As mechanical components degrade with use, the random outcomes that the gaming machine generates gradually become non-random. The inability of mechanical gaming machines to reliably generate random outcomes has forced these gaming machines off the market. Yet, many players still prefer and trust gaming machines that provide mechanically selected game outcomes.
The appeal of mechanical type wagering games is so strong that many manufacturers have developed games that appear to have a mechanically determined outcome—but is actually determined electronically with a central processing unit. A number of different types of mechanical mechanisms can be used to display a game outcome: whether for a base or bonus game. In a base game, the electromechanical slot-type game described is very popular. In bonus games, it has become popular to use some type of mechanical element to display a game outcome. For example, some gaming machines include a bonus top box with a wheel a chance. Although the wheel appears to be a random device, it is in fact driven by a stepper motor. The stepper motor controls the precise position of the wheel, which ultimately stops the wheel at the game outcome, predetermined by the central processing unit.
The problem with these pseudo-mechanical games is that players are not completely convinced that they provide random outcomes. Often the movement of the mechanisms appears unrealistic or unnatural. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a mechanical gaming device that provides players more realistic game outcomes.
It has been the desire of the gaming industry to provide gaming machines with more realistic gaming outcomes that are determined by a mechanical mechanism. The industry, however, has been thwarted by the inevitable problem of mechanical degradation in these types of gaming machines and the non-random results that they produce. This has prevented the commercial success of gaming machines with mechanically determined game outcomes.
The occurrence of random physical influences cannot be fully modeled or predetermined. Once a defect occurs, non-random outcomes are produced that skew the game probability distribution. This is unacceptable to both the regulatory authorities and the gaming establishment itself. Wagering games are tightly controlled and must return a required payback percentage to players.
A probability distribution skewed in one direction can create a loss for the gaming establishment. A probability distribution skewed in the opposite direction will fail to provide the required pay back percentage to the player and violate gaming regulations. To overcome this problem, a methodology is required to verify that gaming machines with mechanically determined game outcomes are operating to produce the required game outcome probability distribution.
What is needed is a gaming machine that can mechanically determine game outcomes while assuring that game outcomes remain random during the life of the gaming machine, or at least provide warning that the gaming machine is not producing random game outcomes.